conga

American  

[kong-guh] / ˈkɒŋ gə /

noun

plural

congas

1. Also called conga line.  a Cuban ballroom dance that consists of three steps forward followed by a kick, characteristically performed by a group following a leader in a single line.

2. the music for this dance.

3. Also called conga drum.  a tall, conical, Afro-Cuban drum played with the hands.

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verb (used without object)

congaed, congaing

1. to dance a conga.

conga British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡə /

noun

1. a Latin American dance of three steps and a kick to each bar, usually performed by a number of people in single file

2. Also called: conga drum.  a large tubular bass drum, used chiefly in Latin American and funk music and played with the hands

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verb

1. (intr) to dance the conga

Etymology

Origin of conga

First recorded in 1930–35; from Cuban Spanish

Example Sentences

The rosé flows, club music plays at tolerable volumes and you won’t find any conga lines or overserved patrons dancing on tables for Instagram likes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Sometimes, as has been documented in a BBC series narrated by David Attenborough, they swap shells in a conga line, in which each crab puts on a shell discarded by a larger companion.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

Arnaz gained celebrity as the American popularizer of the conga, an Afro Cuban line dance that his father had once tried to ban.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025

“But salsa was a beat that they picked up in the street. And they wore it down so long that they put it in a conga and that’s where salsa began.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2024

Then, with one last explosion from the conga player, the song was over.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Related Words

• disco
• samba
• tango
• waltz